Earth observation

LeoStella, a smallsat design and manufacturing company, announced on 15 February 2019 the official inauguration of its production facilities in Tukwila, Washington, in the United States. The company is a joint venture between Thales Alenia Space, joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), and Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries. Formed in …

The head of the French national space agency, the Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), Jean-Yves Le Gall, took part in the World Government Summit in Dubai, UAE, on 11 February 2019 where he met Dr. Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Director General of the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA), and Yousuf …

exactEarth Ltd. reports that the final six payloads for its second-generation constellation, exactView RT, are now operational, which completes the roll-out of world’s first global, real-time Satellite-AIS service. This revolutionary capability is expected to enable a wide variety of new service capabilities for the global maritime community and to contribute …

The Australian Space Agency (ASA) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Arab Emirates Space Agency, facilitating closer international partnerships in the space industry sectors. Deputy Head of the Australian Space Agency, Mr. Anthony Murfett said the MoU signing was another milestone for the Agency, demonstrating …

A nanosatellite named MeznSat is being manufactured by a group of university students in the UAE, the Khaleej Times has reported. The aim of the satellite is to pinpoint the cause of greenhouse gases. Once the data from the satellite is shared with students, analysts and researchers, it is hoped …

The head of the French national space agency, the Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), Jean-Yves Le Gall, spoke at the French-Russian seminar organized by GIFAS, the French aerospace industries association, at the Espace Hamelin in Paris on 30 January 2019. President Le Gall kicked off the round table session on ‘The …

The French national space agency, the Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), hosted the first international meeting of the Space Climate Observatory (SCO) at its head office in Paris on 1 February 2019. This working meeting brought together more than 25 space agencies and four international organizations, with representatives from the …

The UK’s space sector has seen significant growth in income, exports and employment with total income now standing at 14.8 billion pounds (U.S.$19.2 billion), Science Minister Chris Skidmore has announced. The main findings from the independent ‘UK space industry: size and health report’ show that, compared to the 2016 survey: …

The Canadian Department of National Defence has awarded a C$15 million (U.S.$11.43 million) contract to Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) for development of multipurpose microsatellites to support Arctic surveillance. Upon successful completion and testing of the prototype, two additional microsatellites will …

Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) have used new space technology to predict droughts and increased bushfire risk up to five months in advance. ANU researcher Siyuan Tian said the team knew they needed to move into space to get closer to understanding the complex nature of drought. They …